Gallery

Info

Public Reaction to Their Eyes Were Watching God

In this video from the American Masters film Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun, learn about the public's reaction to Their Eyes Were Watching God. Using materials in this activity, students will conduct close reads (of multiple texts) and a classroom debate to gain a thorough understanding of how Zora Neale Huston felt about her work and her critics' reactions to it as well.

Note: Pay close attention to the archival footage logo on the bottom left side of the video. It indicates Zora Neale Hurston’s original footage!

The complete Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun DVD, can be found here. Schools, libraries and other institutions can purchase the entire film here.

Note: these activity ideas are best used throughout a unit of study on Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Close Read of Letter to Countee Cullen

Distribute the Letter to Countee Cullen handout. Instruct students to do a close read of Zora Neale Hurston’s "Letter to Countee Cullen." Urge students to read the letter multiple times. Then, tell them to answer the following questions:

Why does Hurston admire Countee Cullen?

How does she describe the state of popular art?

What does Hurston think about segregation and white liberals?

What does Hurston say about interracial marriage?

What are her thoughts about the state of the protest movement?

What’s your favorite line or idea presented in this letter? Why does it resonate with you?

Finally, encourage your students to have a class discussion about the Countee Cullen letter. Write the following prompt on the board: Using evidence from Hurston’s letter, what do we know about Countee Cullen? What does she reveal about his character? How would you describe him as a person and an artist?

Class debate: Whose side are you on?

Divide students into two groups. One group researches Richard Wright’s reaction to Their Eyes Were Watching God, the other researches Hurston’s response to his criticism—and the criticism of other intellectuals after the publication of her novel.

Note: Students will easily locate information online about Wright’s criticism of Hurston. It might be more difficult to find Hurston’s direct response her critics. So, encourage students to site evidence from the video and the “Letter to Countee Cullen.”

Students then organize for a debate—one side argues for Wright’s perspective, the other for Hurston’s. Students should use their research to support their debate.

Letter to Fannie Hurst

Tell students to respond to, and analyze, Zora Neale Hurston’s passage below. Instruct students to describe what Hurston is saying in the text and why she feels the need to say it. Encourage students to include additional information from the video and the Letter to Countee Cullen handout to help support the ideas presented in their response.

"I do not attempt to solve any problems [in my novels]. I know I cannot straighten out with a few pen-strokes what God and men took centuries to mess up. So I tried to deal with life as we actually live it-not as the sociologists imagine it."